Method of and apparatus for separating fluids



June 18, 1946. g R, EE 2,402,196

METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR SEPARATING. FLUIDS Filed June 21, 1944attorney Patented June 18, 1946 METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR SEPARATINGFLUIDS Elwood R. Zeek, Paterson, N. J assignor to Spei cialtiesDevelopment Corporation, Bloomfield, N. J., a corporation of New JerseyApplication June 21, 1944, Serial No. 541,446

(01. 1s3-so) 6 Claims.

This invention relates to a method of and apparatus for separatingfluids, and more particularly is directed to the separation of fluids ofdifferent specific gravities by centrifugal action.

One of the objects of the present invention resides in the provision ofan apparatus of the character indicated and a method which will assurecomplete separation of the fluids.

Another object of the invention resides in the provision of an apparatuswhich is of simple yet rugged and sturdy construction and which has nowearing parts to require repair or replacement.

Another object of the invention is the provision of an apparatus whichoperates automatically and which requires little or no attention.

A further object of the invention resides in the provision of separatechambers for the separated fluids whereby to prevent the fluids againbecoming mixed once they are separated, as is sometimes the case withprior structures.

A further object of the invention resides in a method of separating amixture of fluids, wherein the mixture is retained under centrifugalaction for a sufiicient length of time to attain complete separation ofthe constituent fluids.

A still further object of the invention resides in an improved method ofseparating fluids and recovering the separated fluids.

Other and further objects of'the invention will be obvious upon anunderstanding of the illustrative embodiment about to be described, orwill be indicated in the appended claims, and various advantages notreferred to herein will occur to one skilled in the art upon employmentof the invention in practice.

A preferred embodiment of the invention has been chosen for purposes ofillustration and description and is shown in the accompanying drawing,forming a part of the specification, wherein Figure 1 is an elevationalview, partly in section, illustrating an embodiment of the presentinvention.

Figure 2 is a sectional view taken substantially on line 2-2 of Figure1, with the coils shown in broken lines.

Figure 3 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the direction of flow ofthe fluids.

By way of illustration, the present invention is particularly adapted tobe utilized in separating water in its liquid state present in smallamounts in a gas under relatively high pressure. Such a conditiongenerally exists in connection'with high pressure gas compressors whichare water lubricated, wherein small amounts of Water leak intocompressor cylinders through the compressor'piston packings-and thewater is discharged together with the compressed gas. It is desirable,if not imperative, that this water be removed to prevent corrosion orother diiflculties, in the apparatus in which the gas may be stored orsubsequently used.

Referring to the drawing in detail, the apparatus comprises an invertedT-shaped body member l0, having a vertical gas chamber or receiver l2and a horizontal chamber or sump M for collecting water in its liquidstate. These chambers are separated by a plate It, having a plurality ofcircularly arranged openings 18, the purpose of which will be describedherein-after.

The ends of the water chamber I4 are closed by caps 20 and '22,respectively, and the end of the gas chamber [2 opposite the plate I6 isclosed by a cap 2: One of the caps closing the water chamber, forexample the cap 20, is provided With a relief valve 26 and the chamberalso may be provided with any suitable means for draining watertherefrom. The cap 24 of the gas chamber has a gas discharge or outletconduit 28 leading to a storage tank (not shown). This conduitcommunicates with the interior of the chamber and is secured to the cap24 by means of a coupling or nipple 3!].

Baflles 32 and 34, in the form of hollow tubula members of differentdiameters and lengths, are positioned in telescoping relation withrespect to each other within the chamber l2. The smaller baille 32 issecured to the cap 24 by welding or other suitable means and extendsdownwardly within the upper portion of the larger baflie 34 andterminates substantially midway of the chamber I 2. The baflle 34 iscarried by the plate It and extends upwardly therefrom but terminatesshort of the upper end of the chamber. The bafile 34, as will be seenfrom Figure 2, is positioned centrally of the openings IS in the platel6, whereby to provide passages on either side of the baflle 34 betweenthe chambers l2 and M. The plate 16 having the baflle 34 secured theretois held in place with the chamber l2 by any suitable means, such as awelded or threaded connection.

A substantially cylindrical helical coil 40 formed of a conduit or tubeis positioned about the outer wall of the gas chamber l2, and, asillustrated herein, may comprise outer and inner coils 42 and 44,respectively, arranged in telescoping relation to provide a compact coilof a desired length. As will be seen from Figures 2 and 3, the larger oroutside coil 42 communicates with the inner or smaller coil 44 at 43, sothat the coil 40 is continuous throughout. As described herein-after,the inner coil 44 by being of a reduced diameter increases thecentrifugal action to which the water and gas are subjected. It will beunderstood that this effect may be attained by coils of various shapeshaving convolutions decreasing in diameter adjacent their outlet. Theouter coil has an inlet end 46, which is adapted to be connected to acompressor (not shown) or to any other source of water and. gas mixtureunder high pressure to be separated; and the inner coil has an outletend 41 adapted to be connected to the gas and water chambers, as aboutto be described.

The wall of the gas chamber I2 is provided with inlet openings 48 and5!], and on its outside, adjacent these openings, two hollow blocks 52and 54, respectively, are mounted by means of welding or other suitablemeans. These blocks each receive a convolution of the inner coil 44,adjacent its outlet end 41, which convolutions at the portions withinthe blocks are provided with Water and gas under pressure enters thecoil 46 at its inlet end 46 and first passes through the convolutions ofthe coil 42 of the larger radius or diameter at a relatively highvelocity, so that the water, being of higher specific gravity, will bethrown by centrifugal action into a path along the outward side of theinner wall of the coil, while the gas remains in a path along the inwardside of the inner wall. As the partially separated mixture continuesthrough the convolutions of the coil 44 of the smaller radius ordiameter, it will be subjected to a greater centrifugal force, wherebyany water remaining mixed with the gas at that time will be thrown outby this increased centrifugal force, thereby assuring coinpleteseparation of the water from the gas.

Upon reaching the apertures 56 and 58, which as previously mentioned,are in the inner wall of the conduit forming the coils and extendinwardly radially thereof and are therefore in the path of the gas, thegas will pass into the chamber i2, while the water will continue to thewater outlet at the terminal of the coil and will pass through block 6tinto the water chamber or sump 14. Any gas flowing into the water sumpwill escape therefrom and pass into the gas chamber by way of theaperture 18 in the plate "5.

The gas entering the chamber l2 will rise on the outside of the baifie34, pass in the direction of the arrows over the top thereof and underthe bafile 32, andthence up and out through the discharge outlet 28. Asthe gas passes in this circuitous path, any water or moisture that mayhave been carried into the gas chamber will fall by gravity and passthrough the openings it in the plate I6 into the water chamber is.

It will be appreciated that by providing an imperforate conduit ofconsiderable length and by not permitting the gas to escape until itreaches the end of its path, the sustained centrifugal force on thefluids, including the increased centrifugal force acting on the mixturein the coil of smaller diameter, will function to completely sep aratethe water and the gas. If, due to high velocity of the fluids passingthrough the coil 40, some moisture is driven into the gas chamberthrough the outlets 56 and 58, it will be appreciated that such moisturewill fall by gravity by reason of the circuitous path taken by the gasabout the baffles and will not be carried to the gas discharge conduit.

While the present invention has been described in connection withseparating water in its liquid statefrom gas, it will be appreciatedthat the invention may be utilized for separating liquids other thanwater and a gas or mixture of gases.

As various changes may be made in the form, construction and arrangementof the parts herein, without departing from the spirit and scope of theinvention and without sacrificing any of its advantages, it is to beunderstood that all matter herein is to be interpreted as illustrativeand not in any limiting sense.

It is also to be understood that the following claims are intended tocover all the generic and specific features of the invention hereindescribed, and all statements of the scope of the invention which, as amatter of language, might be said to fall therebetween.

I claim:

1. In a separator of the class described, a substantially helicalconduit provided with an inlet and an outlet and having a plurality ofimperiorate convolutions between said inlet and said outlet, theconvolutions nearest the inlet of said conduit having a predetermineddiameter and the convolutions nearest the outlet of said conduit havinga diameter smaller than said predetermined diameter, said conduit havingan aperture in its inwardly facing wall adjacent its outlet.

2. An apparatus for separating gas and liquid by centrifugal actioncomprising a substantially helical conduit provided with an inlet at oneend and a gas outlet and a liquid outlet at its other end, said conduithaving a plurality of imperforate convolutions between said ends,

the convolutions at the inlet end of said con-.

duit having a predetermined diameter and the convolutions at the outletend of said conduit having a diameter smaller than said predetermineddiameter, said gas outlet comprising a substantially radially inwardlyfacing aperture, a gas chamber in communication with said gas outlet,and a liquid chamber in communication with said liquid outlet.

3. An apparatus for separating gas and liquld, comprising a continuousimperforate helical conduit for a mixture of gas and liquid and being ofsufiicient length to effect centrifugal separation of the gas and liquidtraveling therethrough; a gas chamber, the wall of which is providedwith a gas inlet; said conduit being formed into helical coils ofdiiferent diameters positioned aboutthe wall of said gas chamber, theconvolutions of the larger coil being superimposed on those of thesmaller coil; an inlet at one end of said conduit for the mixture of gasand liquid, a liquid outlet at the other end of the conduit; a gasoutlet adjacent the liquid outlet provided by an aperture in the innerside of said conduit wall in register with the said gas inlet of thechamber; a liquid chamber in communication with said gas chamber andwith said liquid outlet; and means in said gas chamber providing acircuitous path for the gas passing therethrough and for eflectinggravitational separation of liquid from the gas as it passes in saidcircuitous path, wherelgy the liquid will descend into said liquid cham-4. An apparatus for separating gas and water, comprising a continuousimperforate helical conduit for a mixture of gas and water and being ofsufficient length to effect centrifugal separation of the gas and Watertraveling therethrough; a vertically extending gas chamber, the Wall ofwhich is provided with a gas inlet; said conduit being formed intohelical coils of different diameters positioned about the Wall of saidgas chamber, the corivolutions of the larger coil being superimposed onthose of the smaller coil; an inlet at one end of said conduit for themixture of gas and water; a horizontally extending water chambercontiguous to said gas chamber; a Water outlet at the other end of theconduit connected to said gas chamher; a gas outlet adjacent the wateroutlet intermediate the inlet and water outlet provided by an aperturein the inner side of said conduit wall in register with the said gasinlet of the chamber; a perforated plate intermediate said chambersproviding communication therebetween, means in said gas chamberproviding a circuitous path for the gas passing therethrough and foreffecting gravitational separation of moisture from the gas as it passesin said circuitous path, whereby the moisture will pass through saidplate into said water chamber.

5. The method of separating fluids of different specific gravities,which method comprises passing a mixture of liquid and gasathighvelocity in an uninterrupted spiral path, subjecting the same tocentrifugal action in said path for a suflicient distance to effectseparation of the liquid and gas into outer and inner circumferentialpaths respectively, removing the gas from the inner path at the end ofsaid distance adjacent the end of said path, removing the liquid at theend of the path and directing the gas through a circuitous pass toremove liquid therefrom by gravity.

6. The method of separating fluids of different specific gravities,which method comprises passing a mixture of the fluids under highpressure through a path of a predetermined length having substantiallyannular portions, subjecting the mixture of the fluids to apredetermined centrifugal action while in said path, and subsequentlysubjecting the mixture of the fluids to greater centrifugal action whilein said path to substantially completely separate the fluids.

ELWOOD R. ZEEK.

